Mission Boxes reappear in Catholic schools

The director of the Pontifical Mission Societies (MissioAotearoa) in this country, Fr Michael Pui, reintroduced Mission Boxes for use in New Zealand Catholic schools last year.

And in preparation for Mission Sunday on October 19, MissioAotearoa is running a competition to design the 2025 Mission Box.

This competition is open to all students in New Zealand Catholic schools and closes on March 31. A prize of $100 and a certificate will be awarded to the winning entry from a primary school. A prize of $150 and a certificate will be awarded to the winning entry from a secondary school. 

Fr Pui told CathNewsNZ that when he started in his new role in early 2024, he wanted to raise the profile of the Pope’s missionary endeavours through the Pontifical Mission Societies, with a focus on Catholic schools.

Only a dozen or so schools had been doing anything towards Mission Sunday or the Month of Mission in October, he said.

“Yet, when I spoke to the older generation, they all spoke nostalgically about a time when they had ‘Mission Boxes’ at schools,” Fr Pui said.

The boxes served not only as a money collection instrument, but helped students think about those less fortunate than themselves, he said.

So, he decided to have something that serves “as a focal point for the spirit of mission”, even as society becomes increasingly “cashless”.

Fr Pui emphasised that “the exercise is not simply only to ‘fund-raise’, but also to ‘faith-raise’”, which is why he sent educational resources to schools.

The Mission Box is a focal point to do something – with exhortations on the boxes to pray, do an action or give cash if one can.

The Mission Boxes have QR codes so donations can be done on the MissioAotearoa website by credit card or direct debit.  

Fr Pui said that the number of schools participating in supporting the missions has increased three-fold, but there is still much room for improvement.

He hopes to increase the mission-related educational resources made available to schools.

Fr Pui hopes that the design competition will happen each year.

FULL STORY

NZCEO eNewsletter (Kōtui – School and Policy Updates)

MissioAotearoa & MissioNZ | Pontifical Mission Societies – Believe. Live. Give. (MissioAotearoa)